Peace

I watch the jiva flow every day, from where? From wherever I am. I Awareness, just watch. Thoughts, feelings, movements, come and go. I am always here to know them. If some of these experiences are intense, the mind remembers them. If those memories surface, I awareness know them again. And yet, I never had a thought, a feeling, a movement. I just observed them. How peaceful.

Trusting Awareness

I am not privy as to why I am here, or what I am supposed to do. As an apparent individual I just arrived with a body and an environment to play and suffer in. Since that wasn't enough, I discovered that I am That Awareness that was never born and never dies. For me, that does away with any concerns as to why I am here or what I am supposed to do. The jiva just responds to what comes up, knowing it's all one, all connected, all in order, and there is nothing for me to do but trust.

Our True Self

The most we can know about our true Self is that it is aware. Whether we are male or female, rich or poor, religious or not, we are aware. That Awareness has no filters, no attachments, and no aversions. Anything that appears, and whatever happens is observed without judgement.

Awareness is not an object we can gain, or use to any advantage. It is what we are, and therefore we can only know Awareness as all pervasive, ineffable, open, and limitless.

It is said that Awareness is without qualities, but when we stand as Awareness and look, we see that everything is accepted, and therefore loved. As a Jiva, we can only say that we are loved unconditionally. 

Means and Method

Pronouncements about realization are fun, and the story of how it happened are entertaining. Statements about realization are a good starting point, but not helpful for getting there. That is where a "means of knowledge" comes in. Without a means, a method, there is no map to get there. The map is not the territory, but we are lost without it, if we want realization. This is where Vedanta stands tall, it has a means, it has a method, and if you follow it you realize you never left home.

An Erroneous Concept of Enlightenment

You have an erroneous concept of enlightenment. It is not about being good, spiritual, perfect, or otherwise a better person. It is about knowing who you are. Vedanta is the science of consciousness, or as Nisargadatta would say, "The I am." 

Enlightenment is about knowing "You are That." It is not about being a better person, a more spiritual person, a non smoker, etc. Many enlightened sages smoked, some drank. It is also not about anger management. It's about knowing who you are.

Granted, enlightenment tends to make positive changes, but the character of the sage will remain much the same. Personality style will just be the vehicle through which the knowledge comes. 

Enlightenment is not only for the jiva, but release from the jiva. Since Nisargadatta knew who he was, the Self, he spoke from that. But he still had the vehicle he had when the knowledge came. 

If you want to be a saint, quit smoking, drinking, and be celibate if you like, but that has nothing to do with enlightenment.

Around the Block

One person is meditating, another is praying, another is doing Jihad. All are trying to experience the truth while deeply immersed in it, as there is nothing else.

The mediating is happening where? In awareness. The praying is happening where? In awareness. The Jihad is happening where? In awareness.

All these activities would immediately cease were the participant to realize they were the awareness in which all this activity was happening. With that realization all foolishness stops.

All identities other than awareness are equally foolish. All efforts at getting somewhere, are going nowhere, as all activities are already home in awareness.

All paths lead to Rome since none of them is outside of Rome. How's that for a circle around the block? How much better was your path over another? How's that for nowhere to go and nothing to get?

You, awareness, never left home. You, awareness, never went anywhere. You, awareness, just had a grand tour around the block. You, awareness, never went to the theater, never left your seat, yet a pretty good show was had by all.

Enjoy the ride. You're going nowhere. It's a grand lila, a play, just act your part as well as you can. Nothing ever happens to you, awareness. Presence is all there is. You are that presence. Peace. 

Advaita Vendanta, the Light and the Way

62. The inquirer said. “I negated the five sheaths but I see only emptiness. Is there something else to be known through inquiry?”
63–64. The teacher said, “Yes, it is the knower of the emptiness. That is you, limitless awareness. You are adept at inquiry.”   ~ From Vivekachudamini ~

Apparently "emptiness" is not the last word. The knower still exists when "emptiness" is seen. Existence, consciousness, bliss. This is a wonderful reminder that whatever we perceive is not who we are. So even emptiness is not the ultimate. The knower of emptiness is. It can't be empty because it is has no attributes. It is full of potential. And we are That! hallelujah!

After many years I came to the complete Advaita Vedanta teachings via James Swartz. He ties it all together so well, laying out a careful path that just can't be denied. The complete teaching was necessary for me. I intuitively knew there were missing parts, but I did not know what they were.

I do admit that I studied everything else first, so I was a pretty mature failure of understanding by the time I found James Swartz complete teaching. So much fun to be humbled in the right way. True knowledge is the light and the way.